12.17.08

The New York Post’s Keith Kelly claims Players Club — the glossy lifestyle mag aimed at retired jocks, founded by former Met/Phillie Lenny Dykstra, “is leaving behind a string of unpaid bills and a constant parade of shifting editors and office addresses.” Except for the part about changing editors, it doesn’t sound altogether different from my old ‘zine, though an anonymous source warns of Nails, “if you demand payment, then you are the enemy.” (thanks to Ira for the link)

In the latest upheaval, Chris Frankie, the acting editor, resigned Dec. 4 along with two other staffers. Now Loren Feldman, former editor-in-chief of Philadelphia magazine, is said to be ready to join as the new chief editor.

Counters Frankie, “That’s beyond ridiculous. How could an employee owe an employer money?”

Beyond three months’ back pay, Frankie said he’s also owed for business expenses.

Frankie, who had originally helped Dykstra write the TheStreet.com’s “Nails on the Numbers” column, got the editor job in August after Dykstra’s talks with Neil Amdur, a former sports editor at The New York Times, collapsed at the last minute after a fight over Amdur’s ability to hire deputies.

Frequently, sources said, Dykstra got staff to use their own credit cards to pay for expenses related to the magazine, and took months to re imburse the employees.

Although the magazine is less than a year old, it has al ready had four different printers and three different editors. Several vendors have also stopped doing business with the magazine.

The latest vendor to suspend business is Getty Images, which sources say is owed around $40,000.

Dykstra claims that’s not true. “I have a great relationship with them,” he said of Getty.

It’s not that I haven’t thought of it. I just know I couldn’t pass Nails’ strict — and strictly mandatory — “how many greenies can you take and then play a game of golf” challenge. I didn’t have to work under these conditions at Topps, you know? (Although I would’ve at Donruss)